Love unintentionally turns into control.
Ms. Mai Anh, 42 years old, has been married for nearly 20 years and has two children, a 16-year-old son and an 11-year-old daughter. Previously, her son was quite outgoing, often sharing stories about school and friends. But since entering adolescence, he prefers to be alone, often closing his room door, wearing headphones, and not wanting his mother to look at his phone.
Seeing that her son had put a password on his phone, Mai Anh began to worry. She suspected he was hiding something, so she tried to check his messages. Once, she even asked him about a girl she had accidentally read on his phone. The boy reacted angrily, saying his mother didn't respect him. From then on, the two of them talked less.
Her 11-year-old daughter wanted a small corner to read stories, write in her diary, and keep her favorite things. Mai Anh's husband, on the other hand, felt uncomfortable with his wife constantly asking about work phone calls, checking his computer messages, or sharing his personal life with relatives. Putting it all together, Mai Anh realized that both her children and she needed their own personal space.
After a conversation, the couple agreed to change their behavior. The wife stopped checking her daughter's phone without permission and instead initiated conversations about online safety. They also arranged a separate study area for their daughter and agreed that everyone in the family would knock before entering someone else's room.